Research

Wolfgang Meyerhof started his carrier at the Institute for Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Free University Berlin, where he investigated with Walter Knöchel the role of repetitive DNA in the regulation of gene expression during embryonal development of clawed frogs. Since then he published numerous articles about structure, function and regulation of G protein-coupled receptors. His research with Dietmar Richter at the Institute of Cell Biochemistry and Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital Eppendorf, led to the discovery of several neuropeptide and neurotransmitter receptors as well as their associated signal pathways. As head of the Department of Molecular Genetics, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, he now investigates the sense of taste as a crucial factor for ingestive behavior. He uncovered relevant functional principles of taste receptors, discovered receptor specific taste modulators and established genetic variability as determining parameter for differences in taste perception in the population.